Page 5 of Prey

Marko

Pitch black surrounded me as my eyes snapped open. Just like the tides were pulled by the moon, I felt the gravity of its presence, bringing me out of deep sleep. The covers flew back at my throw and I jumped from bed. Light flooded the room from my silent order and I stalked to the closet where I kept my clothes, grabbing the first suit I came in contact with.

Even in my dreams, I saw her. That smile, that intriguing look in her eyes as she stared at the stranger who’d suddenly became part of her life. Hunter. The interaction I saw between them in my mind had me snarling. From what I’d witnessed while looking through the windows, they’d known each other for quite a while. Prom. How old was a person when they went to one of those?

My head shook, suddenly not caring. Those gifts. They didn’t come from just a friend. And I saw the way he looked at her. The man was gone. In love. The realization left me moving faster.

Was he with her now? The curiosity between them had been a plaguing thought. Last night, I’d been unable to leave. It wasn’t surprising for our kind, but I thought I had better control over myself. One street over and I came doubling back, running as fast as I could like a gone man myself. To be denied something when I wanted it didn’t happen. It never took me more than a few minutes to connive my way into a woman’s home or bed. I couldn’t stand that I hadn’t had the opportunity yet. If I had, I’d have been allowed inside. Tessa would have sated me. And oh what a night that would have been. I could have drank her within an ounce of her life, leaving her flirting with the edge of death. Temptation to give her my own blood to bring her back so I could do it all over again teased me. Perhaps I would. Then I’d feed from her every night until I lost interest.

I slid my shoes on, walked into the bathroom, and wet my face. As I combed my hair back, I blindly went through the motions, still seeing no one but her. Those lips. Her big green eyes. That fucking hair. How would she look, moaning and crying under me? It had been a while since I’d been with a woman. But I could see myself fucking her. Hurting her as I did so.

A silent laugh shook my chest and I spun, leaving my quarters. The moment I broke from the tunnel that made up the hallway, I was faced with long tables and a shorter one at the end. Vampires fed while their blood slaves rested at their feet. It wasn’t tradition to drink from them in public. That would only be in private, and another way to put the slaves in their place. They weren’t worthy enough to display such a sacred act in front of the members. It just wasn’t done unless you were one of the leaders.

Three from le Cercle still sat at the shorter table. They glanced up at me, pausing from their feeding of a woman, sprawled out nude before them. Blood stained the bottom of their pale faces and I nodded in acknowledgment as I continued. The markets and stores were open, but only a few of the slaves were actually shopping. It was still early, but life had already began in our world. How I had forgotten the ways so quickly? Months of not caring left me sleeping as much as I could, and now, here I was, eager to break into the world we spent the majority of our time trying to avoid. Not anymore. Soon, we’d all be one.

“Where do you think you’re going?” The words were spoken slowly. I turned, spying Marie Bardot…my biggest enemy, if I were to have one. Her beauty was undeniable, her mask of innocence being the death of many men. My acceptance into le Cercle wasn’t taken lightly. Especially since she believed my place should have gone to her. For all intents and purposes, if one was counting years, perhaps. But my power outweighed hers and for her only having forty years on me, it wasn’t surprising. We all came into our strengths at our own time. Although I suspected she’d reached hers long ago.

“I do believe I’m going out for a bite to eat. Do you have a problem with that?”

She shrugged, swaying her hips as she walked closer. There was nothing seductive about the look she displayed—fangs elongated and she fixed me with a stare that held every ounce of contempt she harbored. “Maybe. More whores? I have to say, it’s becoming to you. Puts you right in your place.”

My fingers locked around her throat and I smiled threateningly, moving in close. “If you don’t keep those lips closed, I might just bite them off. Watch yourself.”

I let her drop to the ground, ignoring the four men who were suddenly at my side. They would have killed for her, or at least tried. And they wouldn’t have known any different. Their Mistress was their life. She owned them and they depended on her blood. Not only for their increased life span, but because they were bonded males. Three drinks from her and they were stuck for life. She’d be able to read their thoughts, speak to them internally, and command them to do her will. Unless she killed them, which happened a lot with Marie. All she had to do was whisper the word death and they’d drop on command. It was a system I was happy not to be a part of. One I tried to avoid at any cost. Yet…hadn’t I just teased the idea of giving Tessa my blood? One exchange would let me track her. Provide me glimpses into her thoughts. Not very clearly, but enough to give me some clue as to what she was thinking.

I turned, ignoring the hiss behind me as I headed for the tunnel that would lead out. Usually I would have taken the stairs and gone through Kline’s home, but Tessa was closer to the south exit and I was growing impatient to get to her. It only made me wish to give her the first exchange even more. It would be so much easier than guessing whether she was home.

My footsteps pounded into the cement flooring of the tunnel and the moment the fork appeared, I turned left, breaking into a dead sprint. I didn’t stop until moonlight shone through the grate above. I climbed the ladder, pushing up the metal and stepping through. The street further ahead was relatively silent and I scanned the darkness, putting the cover back down. Light was nonexistent here for a reason and our inside men made sure it stayed that way.

Houses sat off in the distance and I walked toward them. Whistling filled the air and it took a moment to realize it was coming from me. Content…finally. A warmth rested within. I couldn’t remember the last time I was so excited about prey. Finally, a game I could get back into. It was easy if you had a target you were interested in.

Will I have her tonight? The plaguing question repeated continuously.

A van went by and I watched the houses illuminate in front of me. A car was parked in my prey’s driveway and the whistling stopped as I noticed its headlights were still on. Was she leaving? Damn, the lack of control I had. It caused me to grind my teeth together.

I came to a stop, stepping closer to the trunk of an oak tree resting next to the sidewalk. A bang had me turning to the side so I could listen. Although I was houses away, I could have been right next to them for how good my senses were.

“I shouldn’t be gone long. An hour or two tops.” Hunter’s voice had my lip peeling back in aggravation.

“Take your time. You haven’t seen Devon in a while. I’ll be here.”

“You sure you don’t want to go? I bet he’d love to see you.”

She made a sound of disbelief. “I don’t think so. I have a lot of things to do anyway.”

“Okay…well, I’ll be back. Lock that door,” he said, stepping into view.

A laugh I knew all too well echoed out. “I always do. You both be safe. See you later.” Hunter got in the passenger side and the door to the car sounded, followed by the house’s door. I waited while the sedan drove off in the opposite direction before I stepped out and continued forward. Had I thought my night would be good? It was only just beginning. Now…that invitation.

I licked my lips, feeling my fangs retract. Music met me as I headed up the sidewalk. I kept my steps light to take it in. The piano was slow and haunting. Every stroke of the keys drew me closer and I found myself trapped in the tune. Just when I thought I couldn’t like it anymore, a voice broke in, rooting my feet to the top step. The lyrics were of love. Of loss. My hand grabbed the rail, suddenly noticing it wasn’t a tape or recording I was listening to, but Tessa. I blinked past the spell quickly wrapping around me. My hand rose and still, I couldn’t make myself ruin something so beautiful.

Dishes clinked in the background and although she wasn’t singing loudly, the power she held was a force all of its own. Hadn’t Hunter mentioned something about having her sing for him? Ah. New York.

My fist connected with the wooden barrier at the thought and I breathed through the sudden anger of them having anything to do with each other. The following raps were slower. Lighter. Composure settled over me and a smile pulled at the corner of my mouth as the curtain pulled back, only to swing as she let it go.

“Yes?”

The door remained shut and I cursed in French under my breath. “I’m sorry, I’m in a bit of trouble. You wouldn’t happen to have a phone I could borrow, do you?”

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